Youth: Twelve-year-old the first girl to score touchdown in local youth football league

ROGER LALONDE

10:05 AM, Sep 19, 2013

Jessica Castlebury/Special to the Citizen
Alexandra Genrdon, a sophomore at Seacrest Country Day School, placed first at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship Horse Show in August. Her horse, Get Crackin’, won the Three-Gaited Park Class. She trains at Bobbin Hollow Farm in Naples and at Matt Shifflet Stables in Ashboro, N.C.

Cindy Pierce/Special to the Citizen
Marco Eagles Jessica Pierce celebrates after wrestling the football from the Lee County Hawks quarterback, then running for a 40-yard touchdown in Southwest Florida Youth Football League play. The only girl in the league, she scored the first touchdown by a girl in the league and for her team.

Adam Herrera/Special to the Citizen
A U6 Dunbar Rattlers runner pushes off a would-be South Naples Pirates player in Southwest Florida Youth Football League action.

Photography By Aplus

Roger LaLonde/Staff
When not on the football field, Jessica Pierce is a cheerleader for the Marco Island Charter Middle School football team. On Saturday she became the first girl to score a touchdown in the Southwest Florida Youth Football League and her U12 Marco Eagles team.

Patty Webb/Special to the Citizen
Stuart Endres (33) and Jordan Love (41) bring down a Lee County Hawks player in its loss in a Southwest Florida Youth Football League game.

Adam Herrera/Special to the Citizen
The Dunbar Rattlers cheerleaders perform at a Southwest Florida Youth Football League game.

Adam Herrera/Special to the Citizen
The mighty mites battle as a Dunbar Rattler tries to take down a South Naples Pirate in a Southwest Florida Youth Football League game.

Photography By Aplus

You go girl: 12-year-old the first girl to score touchdown in local youth football league

Jessica Pierce really gets a kick out of football.

That is, she kicks off and kicks extra points on the Marco Island Eagles Under 12 team in the Southwest Florida Youth Football League. She also plays defensive safety.

On Saturday, she did much more. She scored a first for her team and the league.

She became the first girl to score a touchdown in league history. She also is the only girl playing in the league.

She provided her team’s lone score in a 24-6 loss to the Lee County Hawks.

“The most exciting play of the game was a touchdown scored by the Eagles’ No. 68, Jessica Pierce, after stripping the ball from the Hawks running back and returning it uncontested almost 40 yards for the score,” coach Eddie Webb said.

Pierce, 5-foot 4-inches, 130 pounds, said she saw that the quarterback wasn’t protecting the ball so she grabbed it.

“I then tucked the ball under my right arm, near the elbow and ran down the field before anyone realized,” Pierce said. “I got excited and for a moment wasn’t sure I was going the right way.”

She also made five tackles in the contest.

Webb has watched Pierce grow as a football player in the past two years.

“Jessica has a good grasp of the game and the position she plays,” Webb said. “She also doesn’t hesitate to remind coaches about making remarks about a girl on the field. She plays defensive safety because she is one of the fastest runners on the team.”

A seventh grader at Marco Island Charter Middle School, she also plays soccer and is a cheerleader. She wants to play soccer in high school and hopes to earn a scholarship.

“Most of the time I think about sports and grades,” she said.

Pierce said sports has changed the way she watches it on TV.

“I didn’t really care, now I know what is happening and I find myself screaming,” she said.

Her uncle Keith died at an early age and it affected Webb.

“We were really close and I didn’t get to say goodbye,” she said. “My dad said he (Uncle Keith) wanted to tell us to never give up. When times are tough, I keep going.”

Webb said, “It has been fun coaching her. I hope she knows she has the ability to do anything she wants in life and that being the only girl should never hold her back.”

The Eagles and the Hawks were each seeking their first win on Saturday. Webb said injuries and illness played a big part in the outcome. Several great tackles were made by Stuart Endres, Charles Hamilton and Jordan Love, Webb said.

The U-10 team continued its winning ways, but it was not without a few tense moments that had the Eagles digging deep to take the lead and pull off the victory.

Their play in the fourth quarter showed how good the team is getting and how much they have come together, Webb said. The Eagles scored first on a punt return by Matthew Vergo. With a minute left in the game, and the scored tied at 6, Robert Petronzio drove the ball in on a quarterback sneak for a touchdown. The extra point play was a pass that, after being deflected and bouncing off of a helmet, was caught by Christian Poteau in the end zone to give the Eagles a 13-6 win, their third in four games.

Gulf Coast High School will host a freshman and junior varsity Christmas tournament at the North Collier Regional Water Park in Collier County. Each level will have eight teams. Registration will be on a first-come-first-serve basis. Cost is $100 per team. Contact Mike Murphy, 239-825-8899, or mikemel90@embarqmail.com.

The Florida Fire Juniors is offering the Soccer Sparks Program (First Kicks & Pre-Academy) for boys and girls 4-7 years of age, 6 to 7 p.m., starting, Oct. 11 training through Nov. 22 at Veterans Memorial Elementary School. The Soccer Sparks program is a great way to supplement the training of a recreational player that strives to further their development by learning the basic of the game or the skills necessary to advance to the next level. Soccer Sparks offers recreational players another option to sample training in a professional environment. Activities concentrate on technique and having fun. Training sessions are 45 to 60 minutes and games are played within trainings. Those already enrolled in Optimist Soccer, or other local leagues, will receive a discounted fee. Registration: Available online at https://www.gotsport.com/asp/application/reg/?ProgramID=23467. For full schedule visit http://www.floridafirejuniors.com/rec.php.

Florida Fire Juniors — Club Talent School

Program for boys and girls 8-1, OOct. 11 to Nov. 22, 7 to 8 p.m., at Veterans Memorial Elementary. The CTS is an individual training program specifically designed for current and aspiring competitive travel soccer players, CTS is open to any community members who are looking for competitive, supplementary soccer training. Those already enrolled in Optimist Soccer or other local leagues will receive a discounted fee. Registration: Available online at https://www.gotsport.com/asp/application/reg/?ProgramID=18985. For full schedule visit http://www.floridafirejuniors.com/playerdev.php

SOFTBALL

Gulf Coast Talons Fast Pitch

Fall season, for 10U, 12U, 14U and high school teams. Emphasis placed on development and game knowledge. Join practices on Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, at St. John Neumann High School softball field, 3000 53rd Street SW. Teams will practice and compete September through December. Call 239-269-4280, or email GCTalons@yahoo.com.

Coed Adult Softball

Field of Dreams in Golden Gate Estates is looking for players for its co-recreational fall adult softball league. Experience a game of “short ball” on their major league infield, surrounded by 30-foot-high netting. The arena style of play is a quicker, faster-paced game that forces batters to hit down on the ball, or hit line drives. The field is at 550 8th St. NE. For more information call 239-352-6412, email Bob Scallan at bscallan@comcast.net, or text 239-340-1292.

TRACK

Gulf Coast Runners Youth Team

A running club for youth for ages primarily 6 to 15. Train for fitness and competition, sprint and distance runners. Also train for other track and field events including hurdles, high jump and throwing. Contact Coach Erica napleserica@yahoo.com or 404-5023.